College of William and Mary W&M Publish School of Education Publications School of Education 11-2012 Grounded Tech Integration Using K-12 Music Learning Activity Types William I. Bauer Case Western Reserve University Mark J. Hofer College of William and Mary Judi Harris College of William and Mary Follow this and additional works at: http://publish.wm.edu/educationpubs Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation Bauer, W.I., Hofer, M., & Harris, J. (2012). Grounded tech integration using K-12 music learning activity types. Learning & Leading with Technology, 40(3), 30-32. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Education at W&M Publish. It has been accepted for inclusion in School of Education Publications by an authorized administrator of W&M Publish. For more information, please contact wmpublish@wm.edu.
learning connections Grounded Tech Integration Using K 12 Music Learning Activity Types MIDI, digital audio recorders, music notation software, electronic instruments, and mobile apps are but a few of the technological tools that teachers can use to support music learning. However, technologies alone don t develop students musicianship. Engaging learning activities, purposefully selected to effect desired outcomes, are essential. To become well-rounded musicians, students need to have meaningful experiences as composers, improvisers, performers, and listeners while also developing their cognitive understanding of music. Experiences designed to align music content with well-selected learning activities and supporting technologies can assist students meaningful music learning. How can you design these experiences? Using Learning Activity Types One way to help teachers integrate technology effectively is to focus on instructional planning. Researchers tell us that teachers plan instruction primarily according to students curriculum-based learning needs. They typically organize lessons, projects, and units around content-based learning activities. Therefore, we recommend integrating technology according to how teachers plan, rather than asking them to design instruction around the use of a particular tool (to learn more, see Grounded Tech Integration: An Effective Approach Based on Pedagogy and Teacher Planning, L&L, September/October 2009, pages 22 25). To assist teachers with technology integration, we offer comprehensive sets of learning activity types in 10 curricular areas and suggest specific educational technologies that can best support each type of learning described. We have organized the learning activity types in subcategories, so that each content-based collection comprises an informal taxonomy. Once teachers have determined the learning goals for a particular lesson, project, or unit, they review the activity types in the taxonomy/ies for the content area(s) being addressed, then select and combine learning activities that will best help students achieve the designated goals. Because appropriate educational technologies are recommended for each learning activity type, choosing the activities helps teachers select well-matched technologies to support the plan. We think of this as grounded technology integration, because it is based on content, pedagogy, and how teachers plan instruction. K 12 Music Activity Types We have organized the 69 music learning activity types that we have identified to date in terms of the three artistic processes in which musicians engage: creating, performing, and responding to music. This is a wellaccepted way to conceptualize musicality. Further, these musical processes organize the National Standards for Music Education, which are the basis for many state standards and local music curricula. The taxonomy reflects typical creating, performing, and responding activities and technologies for beginning- to intermediate-level music students. Space limitations will not permit display of the entire music learning activity types taxonomy here. Readers can access it on the Activity Types wiki (activitytypes.wmwikis.net). What follows are two sample music activity types aligned with relevant technologies from each of the taxonomy s three primary categories. Activity Types for Music Creation The two primary creative processes in music are improvisation and composition. Improvisation is the spontaneous creation of new musical ideas. Composition usually involves revision and refinement of ideas that are often, but not always, set in notation so that others can perform them. Six improvising activity types provide foundational skills in music improvisation. Eleven composing activity types develop students abilities to generate and refine original musical ideas. (See examples in the table called Improvisation and Composition Activity Types. ) Activity Types for Music Performance Ensembles, such as bands, orchestras, and choirs, provide the most prominent forms of school-based musical performance, while progressive institutions may also include instruction in guitar, piano, and contemporary musical ensembles, such as rock bands. Musical performance involves singing and/or playing an instrument, and it often requires the ability to read musical notation. The performing music activity types align common singing, playing, and music-reading activities with corresponding educational technologies. There are nine singing activity types, nine playing instruments activity types, and seven reading and notating music activity types. (See examples in the table Performance Activity Types. ) William I. Bauer, Mark Hofer, and Judi Harris 30 Learning & Leading with Technology November 2012
learning connections Music Improvisation and Composition Activity Types Sample Improvising Activity Type Description Example Technologies Improvise a tonal or rhythmic answer to a tonal/ rhythmic prompt As a beginning improvisatory activity, the teacher, a fellow student, or another source sings or plays a melodic or rhythmic pattern, and the student improvises an original response to that pattern. Technologies can provide the pattern and/or a harmonic/rhythmic accompaniment and are especially helpful for practice. Acoustic, electronic, and/or digital instruments; audio recorder; audio recording software; SmartMusic; Band-in-a-Box; commercial audio recordings; mobile apps Sample Composing Activity Type Description Example Technologies Compose a melodic variation Students create a variation on a given melody. They can explore alterations of musical elements (pitch, duration, timbre). The SCAMPER technique (goo.gl/sycw4) is an effective approach. Acoustic, electronic, and/or digital instruments; music notation software; music production software; mobile apps Performance Activity Types Sample Singing Activity Type Description Example Technologies Sing with appropriate posture and breath support Singing fundamentals are crucial to successful performance. Technology can be used to monitor Audio/video recorder, audio/video recordings, audio/video textbook supplements and provide feedback on these fundamental skills. Providing digital audio and/or video models may also be beneficial. Sample Reading, Notating Music Activity Type Description Example Technologies Clap/sing with rhythm syllables, sing/play varying rhythm patterns The use of rhythm syllables associated with a specific counting system can assist students in moving from sound to symbol when learning rhythmic notation. Technology can provide a rhythmic/harmonic accompaniment to this process, aural prompts for individual practice, and written notation of rhythm patterns. Auto-accompaniment software; SmartMusic; audio recordings; acoustic, electronic, and/or digital instruments; mobile apps; music notation software; interactive whiteboards Analyzing Music Activity Types Sample Analyzing Activity Type Description Example Technologies Describe and discuss structural and expressive components of music Students aurally and/or visually analyze music to describe and discuss how musical elements (pitch, duration, loudness, timbre, texture, form) relate to a composition s style and genre. How do composers use musical structures and functions to create expressivity and musical effect? Sample Evaluating Activity Type Description Example Technologies Provide constructive suggestions for improvement of a musical performance, improvisation, composition, or arrangement Students demonstrate suggestions and/or provide verbal or written feedback designed to improve their own, peers, and/or group musical outcomes. Audio/video recordings, audio/video sharing sites, sheet music sharing sites, word processors, discussion forums, music notation software, wikis Audio/video recordings, audio/video recorders, word processors, blogs, discussion forums, wikis November 2012 Learning & Leading with Technology 31
learning connections Get learning assistance at www.irealb. com and www.musictheory.net. Responding to Music Activity Types Music educators strive to develop students abilities to listen to, describe, analyze, and evaluate music as well as understand its historical and cultural contexts and appreciate its relationships to other disciplines, including other art forms. Rich media technologies are especially appropriate for learning activities to develop musical responsiveness. Five music activity types in this category relate to listening to and describing; five focus on analyzing; four on evaluating; three emphasize relationships among disciplines; and three focus on relationships among music, history, and culture. (See examples in the table Analyzing Music Activity Types. ) Example of Music Learning Activity Types In all of his classes and rehearsals, a hypothetical middle school music teacher named Sam works to refine students proficiency in reading music notation and to develop their abilities to play by ear. To this end, Sam frequently plugs his smartphone into the classroom s audio system to play prerecorded harmonic and rhythmic accompaniment tracks that he has stored in the phone. As these accompaniments play, students clap, chant, and play rhythm and tonal patterns presented aurally and visually via the classroom s interactive whiteboard. The teacher has also begun to use an application, irealb (www. irealb.com) on his smartphone that creates accompaniments automatically in various musical styles and for specific songs. Some of his students have this app on their own mobile devices. The teacher also assigns specific theory exercises from www.musictheory.net to help his students aurally identify and notate patterns. Invitation for Collaboration Teaching music is complex and challenging. Although we have identified 69 music learning activity types, we expect that number to increase, along with the technologies that support them. We invite you to help expand, refine, and further develop this taxonomy. Please visit the Activity Types wiki and share your ideas using the email link there. William I. Bauer (william.bauer@gmail.com) is a faculty member at Case Western Reserve University. Mark Hofer (mark.hofer@wm.edu) and Judi Harris (judi.harris@wm.edu) are faculty members in the Curriculum and Educational Technology program at the College of William & Mary. 32 Learning & Leading with Technology November 2012
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